Log in/Register

Please log in or register to continue. Registration is free and requires only your email address.

Log in

Register

Emailrequired

PasswordrequiredRemember me?

Please enter your email address and click on the reset-password button. You'll receive an email shortly with a link to create a new password. If you have trouble finding this email, please check your spam folder.

In reviewing the response to Sachs, I was gratified to see that a majority of commenters appeared to recognize that Sachs's response to Trump's degrading superficial behavior was visceral but not necessarily rational.

Readers.... keep in mind that Jeffrey Sachs lives in the Amerian elitist's bubble, within which the reform movement that started with the Tea Party in 2008 is considered extreme and "off the table" for discussion. In truth, examined just by deeds, reform proceeds apace, elitists continue to be discarded, and the U.S. is in the midst of one of its periodic revivals. Sachs won't be able to tell you about all this until it's long over.

This essays raises many good points. Sadly, its focus on Republican donors dilutes its impact, and in so doing, turns Jeffrey Sachs from a thoughtful commentator into another of Steve Bannon’s ‘useful idiots’.

This is a thoughtful and worthwhile article. I could have been made better, and less partisan, by also acknowledging and describing the ongoing meltdown in the Democratic Party as evidenced by the magical thinking 'Putin did it' meme and the reliance on discredited 'evidence' of hacking while excluding the more compelling evidence of a leak; all the while kowtowing to the Wall Street 0.1% rather than the needs of the American People.

"To many experts, Trump’s behavior – grandiose self-regard, pathological lying, lack of remorse or guilt, expressive shallowness, parasitic lifestyle, impulsiveness, failure to accept responsibility for his own actions, and short-term marital relationships – are symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder.' It might be an accurate appraisal of a basic American character flaw.

Alternatively, Dr. Sachs might just go back to offering bad economic advice at high rates. He has gone from an ultra neoliberal economist to a very liberal political commentator without batting an eye. What sort of flaw does this represent? At least a number of national economies are better off now.

If the western civilization aims to remain dominant on the globe, it has to move away from democracy like there is no tomorrow. Global democratization was compatible with western domination as long as the model "smart and innovative thus richer westerners vs less smart and less innovative thus poorer non-westerners" seemed to fit reality. Now that there are cracks in the model, notably because of the chinese, but also caricaturally so because of the persians and the north koreans, what the western world is facing is a collapse into total irrelevance if the trend toward global democracy persists, as they represent only around 15 percent of the world population and decreasing.

You appear to believe the west remains democratic where the government acts "on behalf of the electors". Maybe the decline of that once-reality invites a certain lack of respect, even derision, from those to whom we continue to advocate/require "democracy"? A monopolistic (unchallengeable) globalised technocracy serving an anti-economic "stop-the-world/sustain/stagnate" dictate surely has something to do with declining productivity and growing debt. Seems to me that, contrary to Emanuel's presumption of an inevitable globalised collectivism precluding natural competition between nationally sovereign democracies leading to a peaceful productive world, we should be doing what we can to hang on to the latter. Like, "(whatever nation of tribal group you belong to) First". Then "drain the swamp" and squash the leeches to revive nationally cooperative productivity.

I do not think that I have always agreed with the views expressed by Jeffrey Sachs in the past but on this occasion, I am in total, full agreement. The problems faced by Americans have been summed up by him most eloquently and succinctly.

I have a friend who is a history teacher and he was describing the situation in the U.S.A. as being similar to the last years of Rome before the fall. And that was over a decade ago. Since then the situation has only deteriorated.

Jeff's suggested four steps are all excellent, especially the fourth, longer term one. A parliamentary system based on the Westminster model is far superior to the circus that currently prevails in America. But many more immediate issues need to be addressed if this slide into chaos is to be halted.

In the face of a "political meltdown" in Washington - both the White House and the Capitol are in disarray - Jeffrey D. Sachs proposes how to deal with a "paralyzed" Congress and a dysfunctional White House. Both tasks are daunting and need to be dealt with separately.
The author says the chaos in the White House is largely due to Trump’s "grandiose self-regard, pathological lying, lack of remorse or guilt, expressive shallowness, parasitic lifestyle, impulsiveness, failure to accept responsibility for his own actions." There are "symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder and "signs of diminished mental capacity" that could have "dire" consequences for America's interests and security, like taking the country into conflicts and wars.
As Trump "lacks the psychological characteristics needed for constructive governance: honesty, dignity, competence, empathy, relevant experience, and the capacity to plan," the author suggests invoking the 25th Amendment, as a solution for removing "a president who is unable to discharge the responsibilities of office." Impeachment for “high crimes and misdemeanors” is on the table pending further investigations. As "both measures are extreme in the US constitutional order," they will require the goodwill of GOP leaders, who are now scratching their heads about his future.
The author says, "one or the other may prove necessary and even urgent in the event that Trump’s psychological instability or political weakness leads him to launch a war." The problem is that most Republicans are spineless. They will only act, when they feel that Trump's presidency has increasingly become a burden, and they fear losing their donors and voters ahead of the November 2018 mid-term elections. The coming year may decide his fate.
The turmoil in Congress "is less dramatic, but serious nonetheless." It has less to do with "a personality disorder" but corruption, fueled "by corporate lobbying and campaign contributions." The author says, the two industrialists David and Charles Koch, "worth a combined $100 billion, virtually own the votes, and voices, of Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell," who perversely do their bidding in Congress.
The attempted repeal of the Obamacare was an example of the Republicans' clandestine activities behind closed doors. The author says the US government is "in shambles" thanks to Trump's "worsening pathology" and reactionary donors' big money, discouraging "smart and talented" diplomats and experts from serving the public, and allowing lobbyists to install loyalists who lack both merits and qualifications.
The author suggests "three immediate steps, and a fourth longer-term step" to restore stability in Washington. To start with Trump's Twitter account has be deactivated, because his incendiary tweets "are hurting national security and the presidency." Second, Congress must "constrain Trump’s belligerent proclivities," that he can't wage war without its approval. Even though he is surrounded by three sensible generals, (John Kelly, H.R. McMaster, and James Mattis), the absence of "wise civilian leaders" could pose a threat to peace. Third, the international community must insist that any unilateral US attack on Iran or North Korea must require a UN resolution. And Washington has to learn from the chaos in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, as a result of its aggression that had squandered "trillions of dollars" and cost "many hundreds of thousands of lives."
The author may be disappointed that his "fourth, longer-term step" will fall on deaf ears. This "constitutional reform to move the US away from its volatile presidential system to a parliamentary system, or at least to a mixed presidential-parliamentary system, as in France" will require amending the Constitution. The beauty of America's presidency is that it mades its president the most powerful man on the planet. Trump's case is unprecedented and "the danger of a runaway presidency" is real. But there is little appetite for change.
It is true that restoring "democratic legitimacy in the US," will have to involve "stricter limits on campaign financing and lobbying." It may take a Bernie Sanders or the generation of millennials to make it happen. But for the time being, Americans have to "survive the dangerous Trump presidency" by remaining sane.

To link Lyndon Johnson with the symptoms of narcissistic personality disorder is an indication of a lack of understanding of the symptoms and or an to lack of understanding of Lyndon Johnson the man who was able to negotiate with Congress and get Medicare passed.

"America’s NATO allies, China, and Russia – should make clear that any unilateral US attack on Iran or North Korea would constitute a grave and illegal violation of the peace, and that matters of war and peace must be agreed within the UN Security Council. If the US had heeded the UN Security Council’s collective wisdom in the recent past, it would have avoided several ongoing disasters, including the chaos in Iraq, Libya, and Syria, and saved trillions of dollars and many hundreds of thousands of lives."
Doesn't the statement above makes it obvious that Trump is not the problem?!!

Given that, as you state, congress is owned by the world's wealthiest people and companies, making America a more legislative centric federal government will not improve America's conduct or the lives of Americans. First we need to stop private financing of public elections, once this is done, e.g. (We would have publicly financed campaigns with candidates receiving equal sum and the wealthy and corporations having no direct effect on candidates, we should a government made up of those who need to out American's interests first.)

Difficult to know where to start on this one. I guess Prof. Sachs resume would be logical. I must have somehow missed the Professors academic achievement as a "phycologist or psychiatrist" which might qualify him to suggest the Presidents mental abnormalities that he is suggesting. His resume is bare on this achievement. Prof. Sachs is relying on "many experts" to support his point. His "many experts" turns out to be an Alex Morris article in Rolling Stone magazine, that bastion of truth and light. His other reference given as "some observers" turns out to be an article by Bess Levin in Vanity Fair, another gifted publication in the field of mental disorders clearly on a par with the American Journal of Medicine. Once again Prof. Sachs creates another of his fantastical solutions to his straw man issues that underscore his enduring hate and help to make a smart man look foolish. Stay with climate change.

Michael Public stated following below "America is in a chaotic spiral because since the Cold War ended they have no clear vision of what they stand for... no larger direction or map ...". I agree.
Like it or not, we have a dysfunctional political system that produced the Trump presidency and we are suffering its consequences.
Dr J Sachs accused the Koch billionaire brothers of owning the Republican congressional leadership but he neglected to mention the labor unions, media industry and lawyers strong hold on the Democrats. And he also failed to mention the US defense industrial complex strangle hold on the US foreign policy of 'shoot first asking question later'.
All that said, the source of all that ails us seems to be much more fundamental - why are we Americans, as individuals, seem far less tolerant of differing views, far less willing to listen others explanation and be far more confrontational ? If we all can agree on that, what can we do about that ?

No mention of a crucial first step - the Congress must pass campaign financing legislation that limits contributions from people and companies/organizations in effect overturning Citizens United.
Only then can reform start.
PS: Does America have any idea how pathetically the first recommendation paints the country? Take the President off twitter! Too many Americans know this is true and just sit around and wait for someone else to do something about the state of politics. What will it take for people to get involved and be part of the solution instead of remaining bystanders at a train wreck.

The republicans will not do anything and the White House appears to be in chaos but it is a planned chaos, not by Trump whom is incapable of planning, but by Steve Bannon.
Look at what they are doing.
1. Huge voter suppression activities
2. Undermining the media by sowing chaos and confusion.
3. Starting the equivalence of a state run tv network
4. Fighting to start a private army and air force funded by the government.
5. Talking now of postponing the 2020 elections
6. Starting fights with foreign governments to create an enemy
7. Dividing the people by race and religion
8. Ushering in complete rule by the rich. We are now in a plutocracy.
9. Lying so often that people will become immune to it. It's already starting to be accepted.
It's a well planned strategy.

Is it democracy for the powerful few to overrule the will of the voters?

Was it democracy when the West funded a coup to depose the democratically elected leader of Ukraine (because he was pro-Russia) and replace him with a pro-Western puppet?

Was it democracy when the West funded Islamic fighters from Iraq, Pakistan, and other countries to invade Syria in an attempt to depose the nation's democratically elected leader?

Is it democracy now when the elites push for impeachment of America's democratically elected president, on drummed up charged of "Russian hacking" (when the DNC files were transferred to a USB thumb drive on the premises - an inside job, not an overseas hack)?

That sure doesn't sound like anything anyone who believed in democracy would call for to me. Sounds like calls for the opposite of democracy. Sounds like a global plutocracy, using a veneer of "democracy" in an attempt to fool the voters it disenfranchises into complacently going along with its desired agenda. I wonder how such policies would fare if we actually asked the citizens of the countries concerned to vote on them?

A very good and measured article. Do American's really want a President who has no skills in government and is most likely mentally incapable?? Do they want a Congress that is beholden to billionaires and not to the people of the country??

I suspect the answer to both is "no". Thus the suggestions in this article are worth serious consideration.

The world awaits, either for the rebirth of a democratic US, or it's destruction. It seems nothing in between is on the table at the moment.

Santayana , before ww1, wrote “the American Will inhabits the sky-scraper; the American Intellect inhabits the colonial mansion.” Americans are living the extreme frustration that these perspectives cause to each other, their energies now fully committed to subverting their own opposite, hidden face.

A Tejera: to put it simply: the struggle for the soul of America is between Micky Mouse and Donald Duck, and disastrous either way. Meanwhile conservative Big Business interests pursue their disruptive, anarchic and revolutionarily destructive profit-seeking come what may. So now a majority of the world rate US as the main threat to global stabiity,peace and prosperity. Which it is.

A very thoughtful and incisive commentary on our sad state of affairs. Leaders of both parties, along with eminent persons with distinguished records of public service, should assemble an emergency national conference to debate how we as a nation should deal with the rising risks of a national catastrophe.

Want to know why America is divided? Because of hate-filled rants like this article, running people down with pathetic pseudo-analysis. It is sad that liberal bigotry is considered a virtue rather than being recognized as hate and a sickness.

Conservative Wall Street Journaal columnist Peggy Noonan explains how and why Drump and his followers have abandoned traditional masculine norms and instead are effeminate. A good example is claiming to mistake an essay of common sense and common decency for a hate-filled rant. Of course you know it isn't so, you just like to whine and cry.

It is so common for many academics to sit, analyse and spin numbers , but not come with solutions! Prof. Sachs has given here an excellent portrayal of D. Trump and his idea of investing power to declare war should rest with the Congressional is the right thing to do. Well done Prof. Sachs.

Well, Lets take your points in order shall we:
1) Invoking the 25th amendment is at best iffy...perhaps is the phrase. What happens when Trump refuses to step down has he will and denounces it has attempted coup by the Washingtion insiders. which it likely will be. I didn't like Trump didn't vote for him but he isn't certifiable and without that it would very awkward. Has DOD study in the late sixties concluded no one can tell the president he's crazy. And factions within the military might not view it well either and could very well continue taking orders from their has they would view has legitimate authority. Truthfully trying to invoke the 25th amendment is NOT a good idea. Impeachment Will Not work getting a bill of impeachment through the house is possible though not very likely. A 2/3rds majority in the Senate is not possible at all. All impeachment would do is render the government even more dysfunctional.
2) Take Trump off twitter how ? What you are advocating is censorship. And a very ugly precedent indeed. Whether the American people think his tweets are a bad idea or not is utterly irrelevant it is still censorship and should still be unconstitutional even now.
3) A bipartisan basis in Washington in this day an age. You would have better luck finding Santa Claus then bipartisanship.
4) The UN security council.......is a talk shop that has accomplished a thing in many years you really expect that to change?? The UN security can't agree on what to have for lunch much less on any policies that mean anything. Since every single violates them at will or do you really every other country obeys them?
5) Constitutional reform...........Right that's even funnier then the UN security council being relevant. Proportional is N:OT going happen that would require 2/3rds of the states to cut their own throats. That would leave presidency decided by 4 or 5 states and leave the rest has completely irrelevant in national politics. You know I don't think the rest of the states are going to go for it. Not to mention the fact that there is NO way in the world the current is going to support it.
Truthfully Professor none of your policy prescription will happen!

Mr. Gingerly, I think you missed the point that Dr. Sachs implicitly made in his recommendation for a constitutional change to our government. It is not that parliamentary systems are flawless, but rather that the political leadership (viz Cameron and, soon, May) can be removed without a wrenching political/international crisis.

"The fourth, longer-term step is constitutional reform to move away the US away from its volatile presidential system to a parliamentary system, or at least to a mixed presidential-parliamentary system, as in France. The power of the president – and therefore the danger of a runaway presidency – is far too great".

Does that not also apply - in spades - to Russia? Indeed the Russian president's circle seemed to have assumed - in trying to influence the US election result - a set-up similar to their own, where the president is virtually invested with omnipotence. This assumption has been frustrated not by the result, but by the checks and balances that the US administration has in place.

I do agree, though, that these checks and balances need to be carefully maintained, and indeed lubricated.

America is in a chaotic spiral because since the Cold War ended they have no clear vision of what they stand for. Everything that happens in politics is to try get some sort of small tactical edge - but because there is no bigger picture, no map if you will, these actions or ineffective, contradictory or, at their worst, resemble madness.

On the second point, Congressional leaders look like they're actually supportive of a more muscular US foreign policy.

3rd one is happening already w/ China.

Fourth: the most important thing is to not have single-seat districts in the legislature, and to make proportional representation possible. In order to pass any such change, you would have to keep the extra weight given to small states under the US system - but there's nothing to say you can't mix that historic feature with PR. The real trick will be convincing the Republican and Democratic parties to give up their duopoly. I don't see how this happens with their cooperation.

Professor of Sustainable Development I gotta say public discussion and inherent lobbying of the muzzling and binding of a POTUS is nearly as disturbing as the POTUS.
'These violent delights have violent ends' Romeo and Juliet,
W Sheikspeare